noughties

/ˈnɔːtiz/

//ˈnɔːtiz// noun

"noughties" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“noughties” is uncommon English (frequency #91,868 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,868
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The decade consisting of the last year of the previous century and the first nine years of the next: from 1900 to 1909, 2000 to 2009, etc.

Key facts for noughties
PropertyValue
Headwordnoughties
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnɔːtiz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#91,868
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “noughties” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). noughties lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

noughties is uncommon English at frequency #91,868 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnɔːtiz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The decade consisting of the last year of the previous century and the first nine years of the next: from 1900 to 1909, 2000 to 2009, etc.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for noughties in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nought (“zero”) + -ies (“plural of -y”), in imitation of the names of other decades (twenties, thirties, etc). The correct English form is noughties, spelled N-O-U-G-H-T-I-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The decade consisting of the last year of the previous century and the first nine years of the next: from 1900 to 1909, 2000 to 2009, etc.

Etymology

From nought (“zero”) + -ies (“plural of -y”), in imitation of the names of other decades (twenties, thirties, etc).

Synonyms

the 2000sthe 1900sthe aughtsoughtsthe zeroesZeroesthe '00s

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "noughties"?
"noughties" is spelled N-O-U-G-H-T-I-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɔːtiz/.
What does "noughties" mean?
As a noun, "noughties" means: The decade consisting of the last year of the previous century and the first nine years of the next: from 1900 to 1909, 2000 to 2009, etc.
How do you pronounce "noughties"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "noughties" is /ˈnɔːtiz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "noughties"?
From nought (“zero”) + -ies (“plural of -y”), in imitation of the names of other decades (twenties, thirties, etc). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “noughties”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-O-U-G-H-T-I-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnɔːtiz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list